Drink Châteauneuf-du-Pape before you die! Why?
Well, to paraphrase the great Robert M. Parker Jr, the rich, round, sumptuous and opulent texture found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape is virtually unmatched in the wine world.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or new castle of the pope, is named after a castle built by Pope John XXII as a summer residence in the hills just north of Avignon. The papal court had moved from Rome to Avignon in 1309 and, although very fond of Burgundian wine, quickly developed a strong and persistent thirst for the local southern Rhône wines.
When the court returned permanently to Rome in 1379, they took local wines (and vines) back with them...and, kept sending back for more of this lusciously smooth heady booze. In his superb book, Wines of the Rhone, Matt Walls notes the papal court in Rome was still ordering barrels of wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape 200 years later.
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| Welcome to Châteauneuf-du-Pape | © iStock.com / lucentius |
Fast forward to the 1920s. Baron Le Roy, owner of Château Fortia, was fed up with adulterated and inferior wines tarnishing the reputation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and thus making his own, high qulaity wines, harder to sell. He drafted a set of quality-focused production rules and lobbied for them to be made law. His efforts laid the foundation for France’s now-indispensable (if imperfect) Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system.
One of the quirks of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC is that it allows up to a staggering 13 grape varieties in its red blends—a generous policy, given that most AOCs allow only a handful, and some just one. While a few châteaux use all 13, most stick to a core blend dominated by Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.
Grenache is the undeniable star of the show. It often accounts for around 80% of the blend and sometimes up to 100%. It’s Grenache that gives Châteauneuf-du-Pape its craveable sweet red fruit, alluring notes of dried herbs, roses and violets, its sumptuous silky texture, and of course, its heady alcohol.
The tendency for Grenache to be light color, low in acid, high in alcohol, and softly structured can be a double edge sward. Left unchecked, it can all to easily produce wines that are hot, flabby, and clumsy. Not always, but often, Grenache needs a little bit (and sometimes quite a bit) of support to really great wine.
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| The famous, but not ubiqitous, galets roulés of Châteauneuf-du-Pape | © iStock / ra-photos |
Enter Syrah and Mourvèdre. They are both pretty handy at offering this needed support to Grenache. Syrah is the second most planted variety in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and typically, but by no means always, makes up around 10% of the blend. A bit of Syrah brings darker fruit, a spicy lift, and vital structure to Grenache. While Mourvèdre, the third most planted variety in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, adds color, acid, dense chewy tannins, and a sweet, earthy, gamey note to Grenache. The other permitted varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are used to varying degrees, usually alongside Syrah and Mourvèdre, to rein in Granche’s high alcohol or pep up its low acididty. These other varieties include: Cinsaut, Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picpoul, Terret, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, and Picardin.
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape landscape is diverse, but it is most famed for its galets roulés (see picture...it's what many peole think all Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards look like). These large, rounded stones, left behind by ancient Alpine glaciers, are most iconic on the La Crau plateau, home to some of the region’s most celebrated wines. It’s often believed that the heat retained by these stones and then released during the night is key to achieving the ripeness level needed to produce Châteauneuf-du-Pape's famously full-bodied, sweetly flavored, and luscious wines.
While vineyards with the galets roulés maybe the most photographed, these picturesque stony vineyards are far from ubiquitous in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and their influence have been somewhat overstated. The stones certainly play a role in influencing the wines style and quality through drainage and vine stress, but their real power lies in creating stunning imagery for marketing and promotion.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is expressive, generous, and deeply satisfying. It’s a food-friendly wine that marries complexity with indulgence. While some bottles can age 15 to 20 years or more, most hit their stride between 4 and 7 years from vintage.
Ten Châteauneuf-du-Papes That Are Bucket List Worthy
Here are 10 steller Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds. Click on one of the producers below to find a Bucket List worthy Châteauneuf-du-Pape near you!
1. Château Rayas – Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
Established in 1880, Château Rayas is the cult icon of the appellation and produces only around 15,000 bottles per year. A fiercely traditional producer, Rayas crafts 100% Grenache wines from north-facing sandy soils. The wines are floral, ethereal, and hauntingly pure—Grenache at its most elegant. Revered for finesse and scarcity, Rayas has earned multiple 100-point scores and remains one of the hardest-to-find Rhône wines.
2. Domaine Henri Bonneau – Réserve des Célestins
Under Henri Bonneau’s name since 1956, this domaine produces some of the most idiosyncratic and long-aged wines in the appellation, with tiny annual production often under 10,000 bottles. Réserve des Célestins, held for many years before release, is deeply textured and brimming with dried cherry, leather, violets, and spice.
3. Clos des Papes – Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Established in 1896, Clos des Papes is widely respected for its consistent elegance and classic style. Producing approximately 120,000 bottles per year, it offers balance and finesse in every vintage. The 2005 vintage earned Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year, and the wine is known for red fruit, herb, and spice notes with graceful ageability.
4. Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe – La Crau
Dating back to 1891, Vieux Télégraphe produces wine exclusively from the La Crau plateau. With an annual output of around 200,000 bottles, it is one of the region’s most widely available traditional-style producers. The wines are structured, mineral, and age-worthy, a direct expression of their galet-strewn terroir.
5. Château de Beaucastel – Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Established in the early 1600s and owned by the Perrin family since 1909, Beaucastel is among the few estates to use all 13 permitted varieties. It produces roughly 250,000 bottles per year. Rich, earthy, and gamey, yet always balanced and polished, it’s a wine of pedigree served at French state dinners.
6. Domaine Pegau – Cuvée Réservée
Founded in 1987, Pegau produces roughly 80,000 bottles of its flagship Cuvée Réservée annually. Known for bold, rustic charm and traditional winemaking, Pegau’s wines are loaded with kirsch, herbs, and earthy spice. The ultra-rare Cuvée da Capo—produced only in select vintages—is a 100-point Rhône legend.
7. Domaine Charvin – Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Dating back to 1851, Domaine Charvin produces about 50,000 bottles per year. The wines are fresh, perfumed, and graceful—often compared to Rayas for their purity of Grenache expression. It’s a beautifully understated take on traditional CdP.
8. Château Fortia – Cuvée du Baron
One of the oldest estates in the region, Château Fortia dates back to the 18th century and was instrumental in shaping the AOC system under Baron Le Roy. It produces approximately 100,000 bottles per year. The Cuvée du Baron is classically styled—structured, savoury, and laced with red cherry and Provençal herbs.
9. Domaine de la Janasse – Vieilles Vignes
Founded in 1973, Domaine de la Janasse produces around 250,000 bottles annually across all cuvées, with the Vieilles Vignes being one of its most prestigious. The wine is rich, structured, and expressive, regularly earning 95+ scores for its concentration and finesse.
10. Domaine de Ferrand – Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Established in 1960, Domaine de Ferrand is a smaller, family-run estate producing about 35,000 bottles annually. It flies under the radar but consistently delivers high-quality wines with purity, brightness, and a mineral-driven edge. A hidden gem that overdelivers for the price.